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Describe the extent of urban poverty in a developing country and the efforts of the national government to overcome urban poverty in general. The colonial city’s main square with its vaulted church, government buildings and curio shops interspersed with chic restaurants for the nouveau rich and tourists are in stark contrast to the surrounding dark alleys, which stretch blindly into another world. In one such alley, a hollow-eyed woman sitting on the sidewalk begging with her three small children looks harried and weary. They are ingrained with grime and, their clothes caked in dirt are mere rags. Their eyes, piercing and resigned seem accustomed to their invisibility. This is but one of the many faces of poverty in Peru. Like its fellow countries in Latin America it bears all the hallmarks of increasing urban chaos. In a country already burdened with high levels of poverty; the swiftness of urbanization, economic crisis and structural adjustment policies over the last fifty years have had a profound effect on Peru. Squatter settlements abound; the informal sector has swelled and great disparities between the rich and poor still exist. In fact, urban poverty is on the increase and this trend is not abating (J. Beall, 2000, p430). That being the case, this essay will examine this recent phenomena of urban poverty in Peru and, the initiatives the government has undertaken to overcome it. At the turn of the last century, Peru was a predominately agrarian based society with the bulk of its population and poor confined to rural areas. However, in the 1940s, Peru began its transition towards urbanization in earnest. To illustrate, in the 1940s, two out of three Peruvians lived in rural areas, by the 1980s two out three Peruvians lived in urban areas. The main influx of migrants has been most notable in the capital Lima, where the population grew from 8.6% in 1940 to 26% in 1980 (H. de Soto, 1989). Although today the influx of migrants to the capital has lost some of its momentum, it continues to grow and now accommodates about 35% of the nation’s population. This demographic shift in Peru can be attributed to continual economic instability, lack of arable land, property rights, development and decreasing labor demands in rural areas. As a result, people have been forced to look for more secure livelihoods. In addition, the increased mobility of the population due to the improved infrastructure throughout the country has enabled greater movement to areas where there are better prospects.
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